Page 44 of Stormbreaker

silver: keep us posted?

me: ofc

silver: and did I hear the solitude helped??

me: yea, rook carried her to med after she passed out

silver: gorgeous and gallant. what did I tell u

hazel: stop it, or I’ll tell Trin you’re horny for a Solitude while shes in the hospital

silver: she’d understand

I snort out a laugh and round the corner to the medical center to be greeted by a shocking sight.

Rook stands across from the door. At first, he continues staring ahead, a foot pressed to the wall and his arms folded, doing nothing to stop me from objectifying the swell of his shoulders. Or his biceps.

His hair hangs a little in his eyes, slightly messy, like he just rolled out of bed. I wonder what he wears at night and then quickly dismiss that inappropriate thought.

My pace slows as I approach.

He turns his head with a hard look that makes my stomach tighten, heat gathering around my navel. Also inappropriate.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, too high, too sharp, trying to cover up how flustered he makes me. It sounds like another accusation. Fuck, why can’t I speak to him like a normal person?

“They wouldn’t let me in,” he answers. “I wanted to see how she was doing.”

He glares at the door as if he might burn holes through it.

“Who wouldn’t?” I ask.

“Them.” He jerks his chin, and I understand what’s happened. Rook is a Solitude, and though technically he’s allowed to walk these halls, he also isn’t welcome here.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper on a reflexive instinct, earning me another sharp look.

Then I knock on the door and wait. It opens a moment later to reveal Dr. Perez and a second doctor I haven’t met before.

“I’m here to see Trinity,” I say. She nods and steps aside.

I turn to Rook. “Come on, then.”

Dr. Perez blocks his entrance before addressing me. “He shouldn’t be in here,” she says. “It was an emergency last night, but I don’t want him in my ER.” A quiver of fear simmers in her eyes, churned up by some old bottomless hurt. She lost someone to the Solitudes. So many people in this city have been victims of their ruthless violence. I get it.

“He helped my friend,” I say softly. “He’s a student at this school, just like any of us. What if he got hurt? You’d be obligated to help him. It isn’t right to keep him out.”

I can’t believe I’m defending him, but it also doesn’t feel right to deny him access.

Dr. Perez hesitates. I can tell she still wants to refuse, but after a moment, she steps aside.

Rook saunters through the door, peering down at her, towering a good head taller over her slight frame. He stops and glares, and I note the hardness of the doctor’s swallow. I resist the urge to sigh and roll my eyes. I see his side, too. He’s within his rights to be angry about this treatment, but he’s also really not helping his case.

“Stop it,” I tell him, and his dark glare falls on me, pulling up another conflicted flutter in the pit of my stomach. I can’t figure out what to do with my hands, so I clench them, trying not to reveal how much he affects me.

He smirks because I am clearly not a very good actress, then crosses the room to where Trinity lies in her bed.

“Poet,” she says quietly when she spots me.

“Trin!” I gasp, running over and leaning down to gently hug her. She’s all bandaged up and wearing a blue hospital gown. Her hair is tied back into a high ponytail, and dark circles ring her eyes.